Shelf assembly



L. R. BIANCHI Nov. 1, 1960 SHELF ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 9, 1957 FIG./

INVENTOR:

LOU/5 R. B/ANCH/ BY ATTYS L. R. BIANCHI SHELF ASSEMBLY Nov. 1, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct 9, 1957 LOU/S R. B/ANCH/ Nov. 1, 1960 L. R. BIANCHI 2,958,427

SHELF ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 9, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR FIG- 5 LOU/5 R. B/AN'CH/ ATTYS United States 2,958,427. Patented Nov. 1, 1960 SHELF ASSEMBLY Louis R. Bianchi, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to The Proctor-Silex Corporation, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Oct. 9, 1957, Ser. No. 689,099

'5 Claims. (Cl. 211-148) The present invention relates to shelving construction and particularly to a knock-down or demountable construotion.

The present invention has particular application to the construction of shelving of a knock-down nature wherein means are provided for reducing assembly or disassembly time of the various elements forming the over-all shelf construction.

An object of the present invention is to provide such a shelving construction having specially formed uprights or struts which can be quickly mounted on and accurately aligned with base brackets for the shelving construction, and in which various portions of the construction can be formed by a simple stamping operation but which pro vide substantial rigidity of an assembled construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shelving construction including a vertical strut and base bracket, wherein means are provided for automatically squaring the strut with respect to a base bracket on which mounted, without extraneous means or tools being necessitated.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a shelf construction including vertical struts, base brackets, panel members and shelves which can be shipped unassembled and which can be readily assembled with a minimum of time and with the use of unskilled labor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shelf construction which can be shipped in completely knocked-down condition and which can be easily, quickly and inexpensively assembled, and such assembled units can be taken apart with ease, moved and re-erected without damage to component parts.

Additional and other objects of the invention, and the various features and details of the construction thereof will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof, when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an assembled shelf construction in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary exploded perspective view of a portion of the shelf construction of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a vertical strut adapted for mounting of individual shelf brackets;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of upper and lower portions of a vertical strut mounted on a base member;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view taken at right angles to Fig.4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7--7 of Fig. 5.

In accordance with the invention, the shelf assembly comprises a base 10, vertical struts 12 mounted thereon in upright position, and adjustable shelf members 14. Additionally this structure includes back panels 16 arranged between vertical struts 12 and base shelves 18. This over-all structure is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings in assembled relationship, and ready for use for storing and/ or display of desired articles. The structure is especially designed and adapted for use in displaying merchandise in stores of the nature of supermarkets for selfservice selection by customers.

The base 10 includes base brackets 20 including vertical portions 22 and inturned feet 24 adapted for support on a floor. Angle members 26 extend substantially the entire length of the upper edge of the vertical portions 22 and can be afiixed thereto in any desired manner, such as by welding. In a central portion 28, the angles are discontinued and spaced, downwardly extending, slots 30 are provided as shown in Fig. 2. The angles 26 are utilized not only as stiffening members but also coact with the lowermost leg of channels 32 formed in base shelves 18 as a support for the base shelves.

Pins 34 extend through vertical portions 22 and have flanged heads 36 on opposite sides of the vertical portions 22. One of the flanged heads can be formed integrally with the pin, and the other one secured in position by upsetting of metal from the pin, welding or otherwise as desired.

The vertical struts consists of two flat base members 38 in abutting contiguous relationship, each having at each of its opposite side edges a pair of outwardly projecting flanges 40, 40. The outer extremities of the flanges 40 are turned back as indicated at 42 to provide therebetween a vertical channel. Along the junction lines of the flat base members 33 and each flange 40, there is disposed 'a series of elongated apertures 44, each defined by a side wall 46 in the base member 38 and an opposed side wall 48 inflange 40. The apertures 44 are equally spaced apart along the junction between the base members 38 and the flanges 40, and are adapted to receive projecting fingers on shelf supporting brackets 50 as will be described more fully below.

The vertical struts are also provided with aligned slots or apertures 52a and 52b, formed in the transverse edges 54 of the flanges 40. It will be noted that the uppermost slot 52a is open at the upper end of the strut, and the lower slot 52b is in proximity to the base thereof. These slots are adapted for reception of hooks or projecting fingers 56 on the longitudinal edges of back panels 16, for mounting of the back panels.

The lower ends of flat base members 38 are expanded at 58 to provide a space 60 therebetween, and the lower extremities are provided with slots 62 adapted to pass over the pins 34 and engage behind the flanged heads 36 on opposite sides of the vertical portions 22 of the base bracket 20. Pins 64 having enlarged central portions 66 are secured in the expanded base members, with the enlarged central portion situated in the space 60, and the outer extremities extending through on either side of base members 58. The enlarged central portion 66 of pins 64 are adapted for insertion in the slots 30 in assembled relationship.

The shelves 14 are mounted on the shelf supporting brackets 50 which include at their rear edges a finger 68 projecting outwardly from the body of th bracket and coplanar with the body thereof. An upper finger 70 is provided with a vertically extending projection 72 which is adapted to engage behind the flange 40 when the finger 72 is inserted in aperture 44 of strut 12. Lower finger 68 is so proportioned as to fit in a spaced lower one of the slots or apertures 44. The shelves proper have brackets secured at each end thereof by means of bolts or screws or the like 74.

In assembling shelving in accordance with the present invention, the base is first assembled by securing the various sections together in the manner indicated in Figure 1. Thereafter, the vertical struts 12 are placed in position with the expanded base members 58 placed on 3 either side of vertical portions 22 of the base, with the pins 34 inserted in slots 62 and pins 64 engaged in slots 30. Due to this construction and arrangement of parts, quick andeasy assembly of the struts to the base brackets is permitted and the device automatically squares the struts with respect to the base bracket. This eliminates the use of carpenters squares or the like for providing proper alignment and additionally does not require the use of extraneous bolts, screws or the like as heretofore used in similar constructions.

Following mounting of the struts on the base, the back panels 16 are connected to the struts simply by inserting upper finger or hook 56 in the upper open slot 52a, and inserting the lower finger or hook 56 into the lower slot 52b. This procedure is followed for each panel required in the contemplated structure and if the shelving is to be used against a wall or partition, with a modified base, only single panels 16 will be necessary and not the dual panel construction as shown in the drawings.

The base shelves are now mounted on the horizontal portions of the angles 26, in supported relationship because of the channel 32. The various shelves can then be mounted in the desired positions on the struts by virtue of engaging the portion 72 in one opening 44 and the finger 68 being inserted in a spaced lower one of the apertures 44 as will be readily apparent from a study of Figure 2 of the drawing. Due to the arrangement and construction of the apertures 44, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, it is possible to arrange contiguous sections of shelves 14, since the brackets 50 can be placed in side by side relationhip. The shelving can be easily adjusted as to position with respect to the struts.

Disassembly of the structure is equally as easy and time saving, by following the reverse sequence of steps as pointed out hereinabove.

It will accordingly be seen that there is provided a structure susceptible of quick assembly of the struts to a base or base bracket, as also the fastening of back panel sections to the struts. The shelves likewise require a minimum-of time and effort, and the overall completed structure has rigidity rendering it capable of long and useful service.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been herein illustrated and described, it is not intended to limit the invention to such a disclosure but changes and modifications may be made therein and thereto within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a demountable shelving construction, a base including a vertical plate, spaced pins mounted in said plate and extending from a side thereof, a vertical strut adapted to support shelves, said strut comprising abutting fiat base members, the lowermost ends of said base members being spaced apart, each said base member having spaced slots in the bottom thereof opening downwardly from the lower edge of said base member, said pins extending from both sides of said vertical plate, said spaced apart portions of said base members engaging over said plate, and said slots engaging over said pins on both sides of said plate, said spaced apart portions of said base members being in frictional plane contact with both vertical surfaces of said vertical plate.

2. In a demountable shelving as claimed in claim 1, and further including spaced pins mounted in and extending through said spaced apart base members with an enlarged central portion confined in the space therebetween, the upper edge of said vertical plate having spaced upwardly opening slots, said central portions being inserted in said slots in said plate. l

3. In a demountable shelving as claimed in claim 2, outwardly and oppositely directed flanges on each vertical edge of each said base member, said flanges having turned back edges forming channels extending along said struts, spaced elongated slots in the transverse edges of said channels, back panels having spaced hooks on the longitudinal edges thereof, said hooks being respectively inserted in various ones ofsaid spaced elongated slots and thereby mounting saidback panels on said struts.

4. In a'demountable shelving as claimed in claim 3, spaced elongated apertures in said struts at the juncture of said base members, portions of said apertures extending intosaid base members and portions into said flanges, and shelf supporting brackets having spaced fingers on the inner edges thereof, said fingers being respectively engaged within various ones of said spaced elongated apertures and thereby mounting said brackets and shelves on said struts.

5. In a demountable shelving construction, a base including a vertical plate, at least one pin secured in said plate and extending from a side thereof, a vertical strut adaptedto support shelves, said strut comprising abutting flat base members, thelowermost ends of said base members being spaced apart, means defining a slotted opening in at least one of said base members, said spaced apart portions of said base members adapted to engage over said plate, and said slot adapted to engage over said pin extending from a side of said plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,824,682 ONeil Sept. 22, 1931 2,302,140 Paulin Nov. 17, 1942 2,365,622 Bockius Dec. 19, 1944 2,787,382 Williams Apr. 2, 1957 2,845,187 Bianchi July 29, 1958 2,872,049 Slater Feb. 3, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,638 GreatBritain Dec. 7, 1911 15,653 Great Britain June 11, 1903 

